The purpose of this is to inform new recruits to both main factions of the starting capabilities of most strike craft. This guide will assume no experience on the part of the reader and experienced pilots may find there is nothing in this guide for them. I will be avoiding saying just what a fighter is capable of with a good deal of skill and instead talk about what to expect from the ship upon first flying it.

IMPERIAL SHIPS

Space SuperiorityTIE InterceptorThe TIE Interceptor is the Empire's main fighter and more likely than not the first ship Imperials will fly into actual combat. It handles quite well and will normally be faster than its adversary. What it gains in speed it has sacrificed health for and can easily be destroyed in a few seconds by a well armed adversary with good aim. Its shields recharge rapidly, allowing it to shrug off single hits but they are not strong and will drop quickly under sustained fire. Because of this pilots will want to fly defensively, a single hit from most hostiles will do more damage to it than a single hit it gets on them, keep this in mind. Interceptors also do not have the luxury of missiles and at the moment lack a noteworthy afterburner. Despite all this it is still a match for the X-Wing once the range is closed even without good speed control, pilots should just make sure it isn't exposed to any hostile guns for any length of time and remember they can outrun their opponent if it gains the upper hand.

EDIT: The Interceptor's afterburner has since been fixed, although the burst lasts only a second it more than doubles the ship's speed. This allows pilots to close distances quickly as well as dodge enemy fire when timed properly. Beware using at short range lest you overshoot or slam into your target.

TIE FighterThe standard TIE Fighter occupies a rather unique position in the Galaxy, namely it is practically obsolete yet the Empire has so many of them that they can't be effectively retired unlike its former counterpart the Z95. TIE Fighters lack the speed, durability, and firepower to square off with most fighters common today and their only known advantage is their excellent maneuverability. It is noteworthy that the TIE Fighter was designed to be used in overwhelming numbers, which is something the Empire no longer has. Never take it on a patrol solo.

Advanced SuperiorityTIE DefenderThe TIE Defender is considered the pinnacle of Imperial starfighter technology, a statement often used immediately after someone is told its price. It performs very similar to the Interceptor, with good handling but superior speed. Its heavy shields can take numerous hits but take a long while to recharge and its light hull has about the same durability as a TIE Line Fighter. Because of this it is normally not a ship beginners are thrown in. Where it truly excels is in its massive firepower, it carries two ion cannons, has four guns and has the power capacity to sustain fire with all of them for extended bursts. Add its two missile launchers and the Defender can be a very deadly ship, although its low durability tends to completely negate that for inexperienced pilots.

InterceptionTIE AvengerThe TIE Avenger is an exceptionally speedy ship and it relies on this to stay alive. Although fast it does not have the maneuverability to square off with superiority fighters nor the health to take more than a few direct hits. It is more forgiving than the NR's A-Wing in that it has a bit more hull health. Like all interceptors its shields also recharge quickly so any glancing hits may be safely ignored. Its firepower is heavy for an interceptor, it carries a respectable number of missiles and two launchers to fire them along with four guns. Although at first this makes it seem like it is more heavily armed than the TIE Interceptor, the Empire's main fighter, the Avenger lacks the power capacity to sustain all four guns for more than a short burst. Because of this most Avenger pilots prefer to stay out of combat and only engage with missiles.

BomberTIE BomberThe TIE Bomber occupies a similar position to the TIE Fighter and many pilots will refuse to fly this ship, the term flying coffin is commonly used when talking about it. Once gain the bomber was designed for swarm tactics, it is above all other things a large and slow ship. This normally is not an issue in bombers, however on top of that it is also extremely fragile and lacks defensive armament (it has just two low powered guns). It has 33% more cargo capacity than the Empire's other bomber, the StarWing, but most pilots do not consider the extra payload worth the risk.TIE bomber now has four times the StarWing's capacity. There have been talks about using it as a long range missile support ship, but the StarWing has been found to be more versatile.

EDIT: Although it still lacks ion cannons the TIE Bomber's cargo capacity has been tripled, giving it by far the largest bomb capacity of any bomber. It still only has two launchers though, so it needs an escort to survive long enough to make use of its extended bay seeing as it can still only fire two bombs at a time.

XG-1 StarWingThe StarWing is the Empire's most used bomber. Although like other ships in its class the the StarWing has poor maneuverability it does have two ion cannons and two guns as well as the power core to support an extremely heavy armament for either anti-capital (siege ions) or anti-fighter (assault ions and lasers) operations. This combined with dual missile launchers means it can be effectively used for more than just capital hunting and any fighter that gets in front of one or charges one will be left in very surprised pieces. It is a durable ship but its slower speed and lower maneuverability mean if left unprotected it will absorb a lot more fire than other ships, making it arguably more vulnerable.

NEW REPUBLICAN SHIPS

Space SuperiorityX-WingThe X-Wing is the New Republic's signature fighter and is typically the first ship new NR pilots are thrown into. It is more forgiving than its Imperial counterpart (TIE Interceptor) despite its speed disadvantage, having comparatively heavier armor and shielding that allows it to absorb more damage, thereby (in my opinion) allowing more mistakes. Despite sporting the same number of guns as the Interceptor the X-Wing is typically considered to have more firepower because its larger energy reserve allows it to fire for longer periods of time before having to stop and it also has two missile launchers the Interceptor lacks, giving it extra teeth. In terms of maneuverability the X-Wing can best most ships although if skill is thrown out it is practically even with the Interceptor, dogfights between these two starfighters typically come down to who is most skilled or has the greater knowledge of their craft. It is also noteworthy that the X-Wing has an excellent afterburner that if used properly allows it to dodge incoming fire/missiles or outpace the Interceptor for a few seconds.

Advanced SuperiorityE-WingOriginally envisioned as the X-Wing's replacement the E-Wing is certainly capable of the task, although the X-Wing is still the preferred craft among Republic pilots. The E-Wing has a higher speed than the vessel it was designed to replace at the cost of maneuverability. In terms of firepower it sports only three guns but a generous power supply means you can equip the heaviest armament you want and be able to fire for far longer periods of time than the X-Wing. The E-Wing only comes with one missile launcher, greatly reducing missile fire rate but also encouraging the conservation of expensive missiles by forcing you to fire one at a time. Its shields are far heavier as well, but it recharges very slowly and the E-Wing is notoriously easy to hit because of its boxy profile. At the end of the day it comes down to preference, but most new pilots prefer the easier to fly X-Wing.

InterceptionA-WingThe A-Wing is the New Republic's interception craft and is notably similar to its Imperial counterpart. Like all interceptors the A-Wing sacrifices handling and durability for exceptional speed. It takes the concept farther than the TIE Avenger though, sporting even less armor and similarly little shielding (once again quickly recharging though), and only two gun mounts to the Avenger's four. In return for all those sacrifices the A-Wing is currently the fastest ship in the game. Its lack of durability and small armament mean it cannot effectively brawl with the dedicated fighter craft, although the ship is excellent for scouting and hit and run attacks that utilize its two missile launchers.

However the Z95 is officially stricken from the NR roster, it wasn't even updated for the fighter rebalance so it shouldn't be used if you know and are fond of not dying. X-Wing should be the starter ship, why you guys never reported this is beyond me but consider a ticket in.